UNCASVILLE — If Kelsey Bone were a hockey player she would be an enforcer. That seems clear.

"Listen, if I was coordinated enough to skate, I would have tried my hand at hockey," Bone said. "And if it meant I would end up in the penalty box, well, I'm fine with that."

That's because Bone, as solid a 6 feet 4 as there is in the WNBA, does not shy away from the physicality that often defines low post play. In fact, she's often a spoon that stirs it.

"What's my reputation in the league? I would say physical, a bruiser," Bone said. "Some people have called me dirty, but I don't consider myself a dirty player. If you run into me and you get hurt, that's your fault, not mine. I'm not one to throw elbows, but if it's out there, I'm not moving it. I'm a physical, low post presence. I will stop [the description] there."

The Connecticut Sun have roared from the gate as the WNBA's biggest surprise, winners of three straight after an opening loss to Washington. Two victories have come against Atlanta, the team most predicted would win the East.

UNCASVILLE — At the core of the Connecticut Sun's positive start has been their dedication to defense. And while it's always been a fundamental of basketball, it isn't always the easiest thing for a pro coach to arrange.

As a result, Bone said, she has seen something of a transformation in Sun coach Anne Donovan, who came into this year, the last of a three-year deal, with great pressure to get the team into the playoffs for the first time since 2012.

"She laughs more, she smiles more. She even cusses us out a little more," Bone said of Donovan. "She came in to the locker room after the game the other day [Connecticut's win over Chicago on Thursday] so excited. She told the starters we have tomorrow off. I wanted to check her temperature. I was like, 'Who is this person? What's going on? Are you OK?'"

Chelsea Gray and Jasmine Thomas, student and mentor in this laboratory, have been through this before at Duke.

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UNCASVILLE – In the process of getting back to the playoffs, the Connecticut Sun are in the business of developing a point guard — or two.

Chelsea Gray and Jasmine Thomas, student and mentor in this laboratory, have been through this before at Duke.

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(JOHN ALTAVILLA)

On Sunday, the Sun fell behind by 15 points in the first 6:30 at Mohegan Sun Arena before turning the Dream's day into a nightmare by outscoring them the rest of the way by 33 for an 82-64 win.

The reasons the Sun have played so well are numerous, but the most important are the energy and production brought by Bone, in her third year, from Texas A&M.

Coming into the season, Donovan had been dropping subtle hints that drafting center Elizabeth Williams in the first round would not only help depth, but serve to push Bone into greater focus and production.

In just 28 minutes Sunday, Bone scored 18 points, shooting 9 of 11 from the field. She had six turnovers in a ridiculously sloppy game that featured a combined 52 turnovers, including the most (27) ever committed by a Sun opponent in franchise history.

But Bone has scored in double figures in all of the Sun's four games. She is shooting 60 percent from the field (27 of 45).

Bone also had five rebounds, and along with veteran Camille Little, helped contain Atlanta's strong offensive rebounding and propensity to score on second-chance opportunities.

"What we're seeing with Bone this year, and we've been talking about this as a staff, is there seems to be such pride about her play," Donovan said. "If someone scores against her, she's coming down the floor and making a move [on a defender] in an effort to score back. You need that level of expectation for yourself [to succeed]. No one can talk you into it. She has really evolved.

"And I love the fact she enjoys mixing it up. Kelsey is a back-to-the-basket player who has no sense of reservation about anything she does or tries."

The Sun open a three-game swing in the West on Tuesday in Seattle (2-2). Little and Shekinna Stricklen, who scored 18 points Sunday, will be reunited with teammates they left when the Sun dealt Renee Montgomery and the third overall draft pick to the Storm.

With that pick, the Storm took UConn All-America Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis. Lewis has appeared in three of Seattle's four games, averaging 8.7 minutes, shooting 5 of 12, 3 of 8 from three and scoring 13 points. She did not appear in Sunday's 60-54 win over Los Angeles, one Magic Johnson and Kobe Bryant watched from courtside at the Staples Center.